Shown: posts 1 to 23 of 23. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by blueberry on June 25, 2006, at 19:09:56
Though lexapro is a purer form of celexa, I am wondering if someone might do fairly well on one but not the other. I wonder if there is just enough difference that someone might like celexa better than lexapro, or lexapro better than celexa.
I know celexa requires higher doses. But I am just wondering if anyone has found they liked one better than the other or whether they both felt the same.
Posted by stabb on June 25, 2006, at 21:17:20
In reply to Anyone find difference between celexa and lexapro?, posted by blueberry on June 25, 2006, at 19:09:56
i took celexa and didnt get any benefit either way - positive or negative. then was prescibed lexapro and currently taking it. while lex helped for a while it has seemed to have pooped out. i have taken this ad for some time however so overall it has been good. side effects for me have been mild at the very highest dose. good luck!
Posted by Phillipa on June 25, 2006, at 22:09:15
In reply to Re: Anyone find difference between celexa and lexapro?, posted by stabb on June 25, 2006, at 21:17:20
When celexa first came out it made me incredibly tired. I tried lexapro twice and both times it gave me horrible anxiety. I know Glydin is in remission for depression and doesn't need klonopin anymore from taking leapro. Glydin hope you don't get mad for me answering for you. Love Phillipa
Posted by cloudydaze on June 26, 2006, at 14:38:12
In reply to Re: Anyone find difference between celexa and lexapro?, posted by Phillipa on June 25, 2006, at 22:09:15
I haven't taken lexapro, but my mom has taken both, and only celexa works for her. Lexapro made her ill for some reason. I guess it just works differently for different people? Apparently all meds are like that.
Posted by bassman on June 26, 2006, at 16:21:14
In reply to Anyone find difference between celexa and lexapro?, posted by blueberry on June 25, 2006, at 19:09:56
Celexa has two molecules, 50% each, that have the same chemical formula, but have different "shapes" (orientations in space). These are called "optical isomers". One of the isomers is responsibile for Celexa's AD activity and the other one does nothing. Lexapro contains just the isomer that is an AD, without the isomer that does nothing. So in theory, if Celexa worked for you at 40 mg, then Lexapro would work for you at 20 mg, since 50% of the Celexa (the inactive isomer) wasn't doing anything anyway and had been removed. And equivalent doses of Lexapro and Celexa would be expected to have the same side effects.
But, so much for theory! The real question is whether a person sees a difference. I didn't: I needed at least 60 mg Celexa and therefore, 10 mg of Lexapro didn't work but 20 mg did. But then, I knew that was the way it was supposed to be! :>}
Posted by Glydin on June 26, 2006, at 19:22:01
In reply to Re: Anyone find difference between celexa and lexapro?, posted by Phillipa on June 25, 2006, at 22:09:15
> Glydin hope you don't get mad for me answering for you. Love Phillipa
~~~ No Problem...
I didn't post as I don't have a comparison. Oddly enough, despite various travels down different SSRI trails, I have never been on Celexa.
It is very true Lex has been fantastic to me. I think I'm a bit of an oddity, but I am amazed and pleasingly surprised at it's wonderful impact for me.
Posted by MARTY on June 30, 2006, at 19:00:02
In reply to Re: Anyone find difference between celexa and lexapro?, posted by Glydin on June 26, 2006, at 19:22:01
I would like to rectify some of the things that have been said and add some others. But first my personnal experience; I've been on Celexa and I'm currently on Lexapro. Both worked for me, but Lexapro much more than Celexa with fewer side-effects.
--- Quick facts:
- Lexapro is the most prescribed SRI in America.
- Lexapro is the most potent and selective SRI to date.
- Lexapro kicks in faster than ALL SRIs.
- Lexapro comes near placebo in terms of side-effects in clinical studies. Better tolerated than all SRIs (Exceptions? Wellbutrin isn't a SRI)
- Lexapro is different of ALL SSRIs and is currently considered as an ASRI (Allosteric Selective Reuptake Inhibitor) which "raise concetration level of Serotonin" more than all SSRIs.
- There's no Generic version of Lexapro, so it cost a lot more than Celexa does. (Personnaly, if you can afford it vs Celexa, I would recommend you to do so)--- Celexa vs Lexapro: Equivalency
Lexapro (Escitalopram) is the S-Isomer, half, of Celexa (Citalopram); that's why they called it (e)SCitalopram. BUT it doesn't mean 20mg of Celexa = 10mg of Lexapro. In fact 10mg of Lexapro = 30mg of Celexa (20mg Lex = 60mg Cel).
Some scientific reviews even concluded that 10mg of Lexapro was as much IF NOT MUCH effective than 40mg of Celexa.A last note; Scientifically/Statistically Lexapro is superior to Celexa on virtually all aspects, but that doesn't mean it is true for you. Some people are doing better on Celexa. Some even takes advantages of some of Celexa more pronounced side-effects, compared to Lexapro, like sleepiness and genital anesthesia.
:)
MartyKeywords: Celexa vs Lexapro, Lexapro vs Celexa, Lexapro Dosage, Dosage Equivalency, ASRI, Allosteric Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor, Lexapro Experience, Escitalopram vs Citalopram vs Escitalopram
Posted by bassman on June 30, 2006, at 20:38:01
In reply to Lexapro vs Celexa - Bonus material ;), posted by MARTY on June 30, 2006, at 19:00:02
I respectfully disagree with many of the "Quick facts" presented in this post. Just a couple are:
- Lexapro is the most prescribed SRI in America.
No, that honor goes to Zoloft:
Among pdocs, Wellbutrin is the most prescribed.
- There's no Generic version of Lexapro, so it cost a lot more than Celexa does.
Yes there is, see:
http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2006/05/24/generic-lexapro-coming-to-stores-near-you/
--- Celexa vs Lexapro: Equivalency
Lexapro (Escitalopram) is the S-Isomer, half, of Celexa (Citalopram); that's why they called it (e)SCitalopram. BUT it doesn't mean 20mg of Celexa = 10mg of Lexapro. In fact 10mg of Lexapro = 30mg of Celexa (20mg Lex = 60mg Cel).
Maybe in the Forrest Lab ads, but see Remedyfind.com under "depression" and compare the Celexa and Lexapro efficacy as reported by a total of ca. 1500 users. No statistical difference in efficacy and the average Lexapro use is 10 mg and for Celexa it is 20 mg, as predicted by 50% of Celexa being inactive biochemically. From a chemical point of view, it’s hard to see how taking a 50% “impurity “ out of Celexa would then make it more effective on a per mg of active isomer basis. Sort of like taking Lexapro with a cookie vs. taking Celexa by itself and expecting to see a difference in AD activity. The main advantage of Lexapro vs. Celexa really has to do with toxicity: you’re better off taking less drug if half of it isn’t helping you. The idea of two optical isomers being in the same drug substance but one of them being inactive isn’t really very unique-ibuprofen is an example-it has 50% of an inactive isomer, just like Celexa. No one thinks that if you isolated just the active optical isomer of ibuprofen that you wouldn’t just take half as much. Enhanced activity is theoretically possible, it just doesn’t appear to happen clinically with Lexapro or most drugs containing two enantiomers. As with any drug, YMMV.
Posted by Phillipa on June 30, 2006, at 23:07:30
In reply to Lexapro : Interesting Facts About, posted by MARTY on June 30, 2006, at 19:02:05
Lucky Marty what dose did you start at. 20mg made me twitch all over and my head felt like it would explode as I wanted to cry. But Glydin is depression and anxiety free with lexapro. Love Phillipa
Posted by MARTY on June 30, 2006, at 23:11:56
In reply to Re: Lexapro vs Celexa - Bonus material ;), posted by bassman on June 30, 2006, at 20:38:01
Hi Bassman,
>> I respectfully disagree with many of ?the "Quick facts" presented in this post. Just a couple are:
-- Well, let's see if I can respectfully proof my claims ;)
>
> - Lexapro is the most prescribed SRI in America.
>
> No, that honor goes to Zoloft:
>Zoloft is the most SOLD / -> REPRESCRIBED <- SRI antidepressant, not the most PRESCRIBED (as in "new prescription"). Zoloft being older than Lexapro has more users accumulated, who gets REPRESCRIPTION from their (P)docs at x interval: making Zolof the most SOLD and the most REPRESCRIBED of the SRI, not the most PRESCRIBED. Lexapro is the most prescribed SRI and AD. hope you can SEE the difference with all those CAPS LOCK ;)
Not a VERY reliable source of information, but it has cute graphics in colors! heres you can see that even in 2005 docs intention was to prescribe more Lexapro than Zoloft:
http://www.impactrx.com/>
> Among pdocs, Wellbutrin is the most prescribed.
>Lexapro is the most prescribed AD by psychiatrists. Lexapro.com even write it big on the front page. Okay, maybe this is a too much biased reference. Here is another on PubMed called "Why isn't bupropion the most frequently prescribed antidepressant?". Take a second look, yes, it's about psychiatrists.. not just everyone who can prescribe. 2 in 2 :P just kidding.
> - There's no Generic version of Lexapro, so it cost a lot more than Celexa does.
>
> Yes there is, see:The FDA as approved 3 pharmalabs to produce generics of Lexapro in 2006, BUT THEY CAN'T PRODUCE AND MARKET THEM UNTIL 2009.
Here's a link that explain this.. but wait.. it's the link you just send me! damn the Internet is so little! :)
http://www.pharmaceutical-business-review.com/article_feature.asp?guid=3877F59E-45CF-4D59-B729-58DCFE46D1AE> BUT it doesn't mean 20mg of Celexa = 10mg of Lexapro. In fact 10mg of Lexapro = 30mg of Celexa (20mg Lex = 60mg Cel).
>
Bassman said >> No, 2 - 1 = 1 and so 50% of 20mg(CEL) is 10mg (LEX).
(sorry, too long to put your whole answer in the reply. the essence is there)
While technically 10mg of Escitalopram = 20mg of Citalopram is equal in terms of quantity of the S-enantiomer of citalopram, the equivalence that I gave was base on end results: level of alleviation of depressive symptoms. A STEPS review conducted by the respected Baylor College of Medicine found that citalopram, in a dosage of 40 mg daily, was not more effective than escitalopram at 10 mg daily on the majority of the major efficacy outcome variables.http://www.aafp.org/afp/20031201/steps.html
How could it be possible ? Go figure. Why Lexapro kicks in faster than all SSRI INCLUDING Celexa ? I'm one of those who can relate to those conclusion; I got a stronger effect at 10mg of Lexapro than 30mg of Celexa. I asked one of my 2 Pdocs (both superspecialized) which is one of the most respected Pdoc in Canada and he told me there is some clinical evidence that the 1:3 ratio is good for about HALF people.
Oh, about RemedyFind.. compare the number of reviews for Zoloft and Lexapro; 1:4 ~ 1:5 that's because most reviews are written when people start to take their new AD.. and there's way more New users of Lexapro than New users of Zoloft.
Take care,
Marty
Posted by MARTY on June 30, 2006, at 23:17:42
In reply to Re: Lexapro : Interesting Facts About » MARTY, posted by Phillipa on June 30, 2006, at 23:07:30
> Lucky Marty what dose did you start at. 20mg made me twitch all over and my head felt like it would explode as I wanted to cry. But Glydin is depression and anxiety free with lexapro.
I'm at 10mg. Sorry that you didn't feel well on Lex. Sounds like a badtrip :S Did you try smaller dose ? at which dose did you start ?
Marty
Posted by Phillipa on June 30, 2006, at 23:19:06
In reply to Re: Lexapro : Interesting Facts About » Phillipa, posted by MARTY on June 30, 2006, at 23:17:42
Started me on 20mg too high for me. Love Phillipa
Posted by MARTY on June 30, 2006, at 23:24:17
In reply to Re: Lexapro : Interesting Facts About » MARTY, posted by Phillipa on June 30, 2006, at 23:19:06
> Started me on 20mg too high for me. Love Phillipa
20mg was maybe too high to start with. Life's too short and there's too many AD to try for me to recommend you to give it another trial at 5mg. But just in case you, like me and many people, try all SRI without any success, dont forget that Lex deserve another trial at 4 times less the dose you tried the first time. ;)
Love to you too,
Marty
Posted by Phillipa on July 1, 2006, at 0:13:59
In reply to Re: Lexapro : Interesting Facts About, posted by MARTY on June 30, 2006, at 23:24:17
Thanks Marty you are so right. They never seem to start at lower doses which would probably allow a lot more people to tolerate the SSRI's . Love Jan
Posted by Bonnie_CA on July 1, 2006, at 5:55:09
In reply to Lexapro : Interesting Facts About, posted by MARTY on June 30, 2006, at 19:02:05
So Marty, tell me, if 40 mg Celexa pooped out after a year and a half, would it do me any good to try Lexapro? I'm asking what you think because I'm considering asking for it at my appointment on Friday. I loved Celexa, it had zero side effects, and when it worked, it worked well. It's just, when it stopped working, it was not good (major panic attack out of nowhere). I have been on Effexor and Prozac since stopping Celexa in February. Effexor made me sick, so I had to stop that, and Prozac doesn't work at all. So what do you think? Do you think Lexapro would do me any good?
-Bonnie
Posted by bassman on July 1, 2006, at 9:03:21
In reply to Re: Lexapro vs Celexa - Bonus material ;) » bassman, posted by MARTY on June 30, 2006, at 23:11:56
Yes...it looks like we have very different opinions and both of us pick our sources accordingly-except for one thing-I think Lexapro is an excellent drug, just as you do. I took it myself for about 2 years until it decided not to work any more and unlike many of the posts on this board, I did not experience any start-up intense anxiety. I did have sexual side effects, but other than that, I didn't even know I was taking anything. Until I took 40 mg. :>} I have a friend who swears 5 mg of Lexapro is exceptionally effective.
You bring up an interesting point about the phrase "most prescribed"-depending on what you mean, probably Lexapro, Zoloft, Wellbutrin, Prozac, etc. could all claim that title. I don't see the "most prescribed by pdocs" phrase on the Wellbutrin site anymore, but now I'm surprised all the major AD's don't make a similar claim.
I did see the "Why isn't bupropion the most frequently prescribed antidepressant?" article awhile ago. That article is funny. :>} Thanks for your follow-up post.
Posted by MARTY on July 1, 2006, at 11:31:39
In reply to Re: Lexapro : Interesting Facts About » MARTY, posted by Bonnie_CA on July 1, 2006, at 5:55:09
Hi Bonnie,
So what do you think? Do you think Lexapro would do me any good?
>
> -BonnieWell, after an SSRI pooped out, some time after, one can give it a retrial and get good results. You talk about 3 SRIs, so I guess you only tried those. And if so, I don't think you should give Celexa a retrial right now. You could try another SSRI first (Did you tried Paxil ?).
Now, if you want to give Celexa another trial, try Lexapro instead. IT IS better than Celexa. Celexa is an SSRI where Lexapra is more Selective AND Allosteric (ASRI), which means it produce a greater effect at the allosteric binding site of the serotonin transporter.
You see, Lexapro molecule (Escitalopram) is one the half of the Celexa molecule (Citalopram). The half that been remove has been so because it wasn't doing anything except giving side effects. But in the last year it has been discovered that the useless part was in fact WORKING AGAINST the working part. So now that the 'bad' part is removed, not only Lexapro gives even less side effects but it works even better.
Here's a link if you like scientific paper:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=16448580&query_hl=4&itool=pubmed_docsumBtw, it's just my 2 cents.. I'm nothing more than someone who tried many AD and read some scientific stuff.
Good luck!
Marty
Posted by Maximus on July 1, 2006, at 13:24:11
In reply to Lexapro : Interesting Facts About, posted by MARTY on June 30, 2006, at 19:02:05
Hi Marty,
I'm glad you're doing well on Lexapro. By any chance have you been on Effexor? If yes, how do you compare the two in terms of effectiveness and side effects... I love Effexor but i would be more than happy to find a stuff with less side effects, particularly the weight gain and the sexual ones.
Thanks in advance!
Posted by MARTY on July 1, 2006, at 15:46:41
In reply to Re: Lexapro vs Effexor » MARTY, posted by Maximus on July 1, 2006, at 13:24:11
> Hi Marty,
>
> I'm glad you're doing well on Lexapro. By any chance have you been on Effexor? If yes, how do you compare the two in terms of effectiveness and side effects... I love Effexor but i would be more than happy to find a stuff with less side effects, particularly the weight gain and the sexual ones.
Hi Max,Thanks, I too am glad to do well on Lex :)
I've been on Effexor XR for about 8 months. I don't think I'm a good person to judge well Effexor because I'm sure the *WEIRD* way I was feeling. I'm sure people usually don't feel that way. I mean, everything seems to 'flash' like a neon and seems to be yellowish etc I had vivid and lucid dreaming that was really intense EVERY night etc. Personally I didn't like Effexor XR at all, one of the worst for me. BUT I KNOW Effexor XR is a pretty good AD IN TERMS OF EFFECTIVENESS.Now, if I have to compare with Lexapro I would have to go with the studies and others experiences since I didn't have a 'statistically speaking NORMAL' experience with Effexor XR.
Regarding weight gain, I'm not sure which is the best but Lexapro (an SSRI\ASRI) is the best of the SSRIs in this regard. (Effexor XR is an SNRI) .. can't remember if I took some pounds on Effexor. How many pound did you get on Effexor ?Lexapro doesn't kill your sexuality as much as Effexor XR.
From what I've read on guys experiences, Lexapro (AND Celexa) is less likely to kill your libido, which is a good thing! Effexor is a pretty good libido killer and that's the primary reason why Lexapro is better for most men. Think about it: No libido = no erection because no desire whatsoever AND SO you no longer care about orgasm intensity or if you can ejaculate because YOU DONT EVEN REACH THAT POINT! lol Lexapro is making your orgasm less intense and most likely makes it more difficult to reach orgasm/ejaculation but it does so moderately AND less than any other SRIs. So to make a long story short: with Lexapro you can have fun, with Effexor you usually dont even DESIRE to have that kind of fun :P
hope it helps a little
Marty
Posted by Maximus on July 1, 2006, at 16:14:06
In reply to Re: Lexapro vs Effexor » Maximus, posted by MARTY on July 1, 2006, at 15:46:41
Thanks Marty for your input. It was pretty clear and well written. I'm going to talk about it with my pdoc.
I brought it up one time with her. She wasn't too impressed with that stuff. In fact, she meant that Lexapro was lacking the norepinephrine punch for a bipolar, to get up a zombie from the bed, although i'm fine actually. For me, SSRIs have all been the same (not so good, dulling pills), with the exception of Prozac.
I will keep you in touch. I have my nexp appointment in 1 month. Bye and keep on doing well buddy!
Posted by MARTY on July 1, 2006, at 16:38:36
In reply to Re: Lexapro vs Effexor » MARTY, posted by Maximus on July 1, 2006, at 16:14:06
> Thanks Marty for your input. It was pretty clear and well written. I'm going to talk about it with my pdoc.
>
> I brought it up one time with her. She wasn't too impressed with that stuff. In fact, she meant that Lexapro was lacking the norepinephrine punch for a bipolar, to get up a zombie from the bed, although i'm fine actually. For me, SSRIs have all been the same (not so good, dulling pills), with the exception of Prozac.
>
> I will keep you in touch. I have my nexp appointment in 1 month. Bye and keep on doing well buddy!Maybe you can ask her about Cymbalta (Duloxetine) which has also a norepinephrine 'punch' like Effexor XR (both are SNRI). I would be interested in hearing what she think of it. It's not in Canada yet, so I cant ask my Pdocs.
See ya
Marty
Posted by Bonnie_CA on July 1, 2006, at 18:10:54
In reply to Re: Lexapro : Interesting Facts About » Bonnie_CA, posted by MARTY on July 1, 2006, at 11:31:39
>(Did you tried Paxil ?).
Yep, Paxil worked extremely well, I had absolutely zero anxiety. However, I also had sexual side effects (I'm female... I couldn't get "ready", even if I wanted to in my head), and weight gain. The weight gain isn't that important to me right now, since I seemed to have gained that much weight on Prozac, without the benefits! (Prozac doesn't work AT ALL.) I just wanted to know if it could be possible to take Lexapro with success because I really liked Celexa a lot because of the lack of side effects. Thanks for your input!
-Bonnie
Posted by nolegirl323 on July 17, 2006, at 18:48:32
In reply to Re: Anyone find difference between celexa and lexapro?, posted by bassman on June 26, 2006, at 16:21:14
I love Lexapro. I take 40 mg's of Lex a day + 4 mg's of xanax and I feel like a new person.
My bingeing/purging has decreased significantly, and when I follow my food plan, I don't get so much of the anxiety that usually follows eating. Said anxiety usually leads to purging.
I have been on Paxil and Zoloft in the past, but this combo of xanax and Lex is working well for me.
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